


Operation DUSK

by Gamewizard2008



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Codename: Kids Next Door
Genre: Bending (Avatar), F/M, Firebending & Firebenders, Lightbending, Poisonbending, Shadowbending & Shadowbenders, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 16:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16644086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamewizard2008/pseuds/Gamewizard2008
Summary: This is my friend, Mika's future kid story, a prequel to the Firstborn/Nextgen Saga (sort of),Operation DUSK, also called theNikka Arc. The Sector V, Sector RZ, and Global Command teams of the future have gone back in time to meet their parents in the KND. At the same time, Ashley Uno is discovering strange powers she never knew she had.Take note that this fic is only partially canon, but has some non-canon things in it regarding the Gameverse. For that reason, this is optional reading.





	Operation DUSK

**Game’s Note: Hey, guys, here’s the start of Mika’s greatest story, _Operation DUSK_! Sort of a pre- _Firstborn_ , pre-Nextgen type deal. But it’s partially non-canon, you’ll soon see why.**

**Mika’s Note: DARP. Gonna introduce the future kids mentioned here.**

**Aurora and Cheren Uno – Nigel and Rachel Uno’s kids, Aurora is the elder one and Cheren is the younger one. Aurora is a firebender, but Cheren is capable of showing anger through flames, and he has the 90% probability of wielding the Master Sword of his mother’s.**

**Francis and Panini Drilovsky – Patton and Fanny Drilovsky’s kids, Francis is the elder one and Panini is the younger one. Francis is just a normal guy, but he’s pretty tough, and Panini’s a reckless firebender.**

**Kirie Beatles – Wally and Kuki Beatles’ daughter, she has a younger brother named Joey. Kirie was born mute, and thus communicates using sign language and writing. That’s her only disability. Other than that, she’s pretty normal.**

**Harry, Haylee and Arthur Gilligan – Hoagie and Abby Gilligan’s kids, Harry is the oldest, followed by Artie, and then Haylee. They’re all pretty normal, but Haylee has this weird dream of traveling to another unorthodox dimension.**

**Mason and Haruka Dimalanta – Matthew and Yin Dimalanta’s kids, Haruka is the older one with Mason the younger, though their heights are reversed. They’re both poisonbenders like their father, Matt. Haruka wants to be a doctor when she gets older.**

**Sheila Frantic – Elijah and Marine Frantic’s daughter, she is an only child. She is a half-human, half-Mobian raccoon hybrid, because her mother Marine was a Mobian raccoon, and she is a lightbender because of her mother.**

**Lee Andrew and Leanne Andrea Grayson – David and Ashley’s kids, Lee is the elder followed by Leanne respectively. For some strange reason, both are shadowbenders, though no trace of this power is found in their parents. Or is there?**

**Daniel and Columbine Whitby – Lenny and Ogie’s kids, Denny is the elder followed by Lulu respectively. Denny is Lenny Jr. with his helmet, and Lulu is Ogie’s mini with her glasses, but otherwise they’re pretty normal by standards.**

**Dillon York – Nolan and Danika York’s son, he really looks up to his father. Most of the time he is quiet, and he has his mother’s shadowbending powers.**

 **Now loading…  
Kids Next Door mission…**

 **Operation:  
D.U.S.K.**

 **Delightful**

**Unveils**

**Shadowy**

**Katastrophe**

 

_Falling…_

_I blinked, then looked down. Then, I screamed._

_I was falling. Falling into the dark abyss._

_I couldn’t move. I was immobilized, my hands and legs frozen into place._

_“Help!” I shrieked, trying my hardest to move, but it was no use. I was stuck, falling._

_Suddenly, right before my eyes, my life played out like a movie. But in each segment, there was a time of darkness, a time where I felt no happiness. A time where…_

_Where I felt one with the shadows._

_Then, it faded, and I was back to falling. Sprawled out, I felt vulnerable as the darkness engulfed me._

_“Somebody help me!”_

“Ashley? ASHLEY!”

“AH!” A sandy-blonde girl gasped, sitting up in her bed at lightning speed. Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of her head, and her hair was curiously out of place for a Delightful child.

A blonde haired boy with a bowl cut looked at her, concerned. “Are you OK? You were sweating and screaming for help.”

“Y-yes…” Ashley Uno murmured, combing her hair back into place with her fingers. She still couldn’t forget the way the darkness flooded into every crevice of her mind and being. The darkness had felt tangible, and then felt like gas, and at one point it had felt like…like she was part of the darkness. “I just had a nightmare…”

Olivia – or Ogie, the brown-haired girl – was in the process of intricately braiding her hair and spraying it with hairspray so that it would stay up. What, you thought her hair floated magically? Well, excuuuse me! “What was it about?”

“Well…” Ashley was interrupted by a loud snore on their left. The children all looked towards their left – or, in Bruce and Ogie’s case, their right – and nearly sweat-dropped as they watched David sleep face-down on his pillow, snoring loudly. “Someone should really get a plug for that guy.”

On the right side of the bed, Lenny was rousing, yawning. “Funny, I thought Bruce was the heavy sleeper.”

“Dead right you are.” Bruce boasted proudly. “I could sleep through a hurricane!”

Ogie rolled her eyes. “You could sleep through a whole unorthodox universe merging involving two girls who liked you.”

“He could sleep through the end of the world and wouldn’t know it.” Lenny deadpanned, switching on the lampshade on his side of the bed. “That’s our Bruce for you.”

The aforementioned blonde blushed in embarrassment. “It’s not fair that you guys can tease me! You guys have embarrassing stuff about yourselves too! Like Ashley’s-”

“Bruce!” Ashley whacked him with her pillow. “There are kids reading this story!”

**HEY! STOP BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL!**

“Yes, Mika.” Ogie muttered, being the only one who heard the author.

Lenny looked at her. “Who’s Mika?”

“No one.” she replied quickly. “Now, Ashley, what exactly happened in your dream?”

Ashley gulped uneasily. She wasn’t too comfortable with explaining what happened in her dreams, or nightmares. “Well, you see…”

**Cleveland, Virginia, 2031**

“RABBIT EARS!”

Nine-year-old Panini Drilovsky giggled mischievously as she nimbly darted amongst other KND operatives on the Moonbase. She clutched a red Rainbow Monkey in her arms, obviously snatched from someone. Her ebony hair – shaped like a certain pink bunny’s ears – bobbed in the air as she passed Harry Gilligan, one of Hoagie and Abby’s triplets.

“What the-” He was cut short as another blur zoomed past him. His tan skin felt singed as he felt the blazing hot blur chase after Panini. He winced, tugging on his blue hat.

Harry’s younger, triplet brother, Artie, shook his head. “Only a fool would-”

“-piss off Cheren.” Their youngest triplet sister, Haylee, finished, blinking her bright-browns behind a pair of yellow goggles. “Then again, that’s Panini for you.” Her aviator’s hat was lopsided as she hopped towards the next broken S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. “She also forgot our supposed meeting.”

Indeed, it was the current Supreme Leader, Cheren Uno, who was chasing the giggling Drilovsky. He was practically a ball of fire as he blazed past operatives, startling them. He had only just rounded the corner when he nearly bumped into his older sister, Aurora.

Aurora had been simply minding her own business, of course, sipping some cocoa and whistling a Courtney Gears tune. (She wasn’t sure who this Courtney person was or where she came from, but she sounded OK in Aurora’s ears.) Of course, Cheren just _had_ to nearly run into her. Her cocoa had spilled all over her orange tank-top, and now it was ruined.

“CHEREN!” Aurora screamed, making all the operatives nearby wince. Although she was the daughter of Nigel and Rachel Uno, she sure did have Fanny’s ability to scream really loudly.

Somewhere on the Whisbee deck, Panini’s older brother, Francis, was playing Whisbee with Mason Dimalanta, Leanne Grayson, Dillon York and Sheila Frantic. The raccoon girl was cheating by flying up with her tail, but otherwise it was a pretty normal game.

That is, until Aurora screamed.

Francis had been about to toss the Whisbee when Aurora had screamed, so, as if on instinct, he dropped the saucer and ran towards her, forgetting all about the game. He swore under his breath as he heard Panini’s high-pitched Irish giggle ringing in the air, and ran past everyone else.

“’ey, you ol’ drongo!” Sheila yelled, waving her hands before realizing that it was hopeless. “Mates, Oi’m guessin’ our game o’ Whisbee’s ovah. Sorry!”

Mason slouched. “Aww! That Francis always abandons our games whenever Aurora’s involved!”

“Yeah… I kinda noticed…” Leanne hissed through her teeth. Her shadow, Ash, rose up, prodding Leanne with a shadowy finger. The brunette pushed her away, and Ash frowned, her white shadow smile turning upside-down.

Dillon looked at the others. They all looked so gloomy, but he wasn’t really affected. He was just the judge, referee and scoreboard, after all. “Hey, why don’t we play something else? Maybe we can invite Haruka or Lee, or both, since they’re so attached to each other and all…”

“I’ll find Lee!” Mason answered automatically.

“Haru’s moine!” Sheila chirruped. Together, the two benders ran off toward the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s, possibly looking for a fixed one to take to Earth to look for the two.

**With Francis and Aurora…**

“What happened?” Francis asked, dismayed.

Aurora nearly seethed. “Cheren and Panini happened. They just whizzed past me, poof! My cocoa’s wasted and I’ve ruined my tank-top.”

“I’ll go after them.” Francis offered, but Aurora shook her head.

“They’ll turn up. _Then_ I’ll unleash my wrath.”

**With Panini and Cheren…**

“GIVE IT BACK!” Cheren yelled angrily. The operatives running around felt really sorry for Panini, but the others were simply amused. Panini was the only one brave and tactful enough to piss off the Supreme Leader, and the only one easily forgiven because she was his best friend.

Panini stopped abruptly, holding out the toy. “OK.”

Cheren blinked, his flames dying down. It wasn’t like Panini to just give up something she stole from him. There was something wrong. “…Is there a catch?”

“No, not this time.” Panini crossed her heart. “Ah just forgot that Ah’m supposed to meet Haylee at the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s to talk about her time machine.”

Cheren looked interested. “A time machine?”

“Yeah.” Panini blinked innocently. “Want to come, almighty Supreme Leader? Unless yer too busy…” she winked.

Cheren chided her, “That’s HEAVENLY Supreme Leader to you, Rabbit Ears. And yeah, I’ll come.”

“YAY! Ah heard that Lee and Leanne’s cousins are s’posed to be at Moonbase, too!” Panini said, thinking about the glass-eyed girl and the helmet-headed boy, Denny and Lulu.

Cheren rolled his eyes. “OK, if that information is really necessary. Now come on, I want to see this ‘time machine’.”

**A few minutes later**

“… So that’s how the time machine works!” Haylee explained proudly. “I call it the-!”

 

 **Kids Next Door: T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R.  
T**ime **R** ider **A** ccesses **V** arious **E** ras **L** eisurely **E** ntering **R** ips

 

“Now let’s try it out!” Haylee said excitedly.

Lee looked uncertain as he swept back his blonde hair. His shadow, Damien, looked a bit creeped out as Ash sidled up to him and started cooing like a dove. Leanne rolled her eyes as she tugged on Ash’s ‘sleeve,’ making her slink back into place. Damien relaxed just as Lee asked, “But what date, Hayl?”

“Maybe… oh, I know!” Haylee dove into the time machine, setting up dials and stuff. “How about when our parents were itty bitty babies?”

Harry shook his head, disagreeing. “No! Let’s see when they were cruddy teenagers and they were all mushy about each other!”

“EW!” Lulu Whitby wrinkled her nose before sidling up to Kirie Beatles, who patted her head silently, no words escaping her lips.

Artie coughed. “Not to be rude or anything, but I would like to see our parents as eleven-year-olds; back when they were still cool operatives!”

“BABIES!”

“TEENAGERS!”

“PRE-TEENS!”

“LOOK OUT!” The rest of their audience – except for Kirie - screamed as the triplets accidentally switched on the portal with a certain button. (Honestly, who puts an AUTOMATIC START AND SET DATE button on a time machine? I mean, come on.) The portal started working, swirling with green light, and then, it sucked all of the kids in, leaving no one behind.

Then, when it had finished its job, it sat, abandoned, behind a really old S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. All energy was gone from it, and it looked like any old rusty thing, sitting there in front of dust.

All that was left of the children was Cheren’s red Rainbow Monkey.

**Cleveland, Virginia, 2011**

“…I see…” Ogie murmured thoughtfully.

Ashley sat cross-legged on the bed, having recounted her dream to those who bothered to listen. David had finally awoken at one point during the story, and was now contemplating as well what it meant. “Well, maybe we should tell Father…”

“NO!” Bruce said sharply. “If Father finds out, he’ll…he’ll…”

Lenny shook his head. “You don’t want to know. It’s better we keep it a secret.”

“OK…” Ashley murmured, blinking her Delightfulized blue eyes. For a minute there, her eyes flashed brown, then it became blue again. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a green portal popped into the room, right across the balcony, startling the Delightful Children.

“What’s that?” David asked.

Ogie inspected it. “It appears to be… some sort of portal…”

“AGGH!” Voices screamed from within the portal, and soon, the voices became real as children tumbled out of the portal into the room.

The Delightfuls were all freaked out as they hid under the covers like a regular child would when scared. Ogie was on the floor, staring in awe as the portal closed up and the children brushed themselves off.

“Where d’you suppose we ended up?” A brunette girl asked, and Ogie could only assume her eyes had blinked beneath her very, very long David-reminiscent bangs. She straightened her skirt as she looked at a boy who looked a lot like her, only with blonde hair.

“I dunno, somewhere?” The boy replied, fiddling with a holster on the side of his belt.

A blonde-haired girl with purple and green, mismatched eyes made a sign that meant, _I think I know where we are._ In sign language, of course. A glass-eyed girl clutched that girl’s sweater in terror, a helmet-headed boy freaking out behind her.

Ashley was peeking out from the blanket, and was surprised to find David’s face within the brunette and the blonde boy’s features. She was also mildly surprised to find herself within them, but other than that, she didn’t pay attention, except to the helmet head that looked oddly like Lenny. She couldn’t help it, so she laughed. Out loud.

Everyone froze. The newcomers all turned around, and blue eyes met green, blue and violet/green eyes before everyone screamed.

“Holy s***!” The girl shrieked. “Is that M-” Her voice was muffled by the mute girl, who only waved a simple ‘No’ to her words. She understood immediately, and shut up.

Lenny approached them cautiously, forgetting to put on his helmet as he asked, “Who… are you?”

“Why the fudge do you want to know?” The sandy-blonde boy asked.

“CHILDREN!” A voice roared from the doorway, and all heads swiveled to see Father burning with flames. “DID I JUST HEAR PROFANITY IN HERE?”

The brunette blew a raspberry. “Dead right you did, Grampa!”

“GRAMPA?” Father had had it. He nearly burned the whole mansion down. “I AM NOBODY’S GRANDFATHER!”

The sandy-blonde rolled his eyes. “Leanne, you shouldn’t have done that! Now he’s mad!”

“But Lee,” Leanne pointed out, “he _is_ our Grampa!”

Father was still burning, so Bruce tentatively asked from under the covers, “How are you related?”

“Through-” Leanne’s voice was muffled again, this time by Lee’s hand. “Kiwee, tew him to stop!” **(Translation: Kirie, tell him to stop!)**

Kirie signed, and Lee dropped his hand, but not to his side, but rather, to the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. holster on the side of his belt. He pulled out the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. slowly, signaling for the others to do the same with their weapons, and they did so. Damien – being Lee’s shadow – earned a shadow G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. as well, and Ash got a shadow S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. from Leanne. Then, on cue, they all pointed the weapons at the Delightful Children and Father.

“Sector RZ and Kirie are out! PEACE!” Lee yelled, shooting a few gumballs before tumbling out the balcony.

Leanne walked over to the balcony, waved good-bye, and toppled over, landing in Lee’s arms like an acrobat before landing on the ground. “Sayonara!”

“Bye, Mommy!” The glass-eyed girl – Lulu – giggled before hopping off the balcony and into Ash and Damien’s linked shadow arms.

Denny – helmet-head Jr. – waved at Lenny. “Bye Daddy, see ya soon!” Then, he also jumped off, landing into the shadows’ seemingly solid arms again.

Finally, Kirie was left alone, silently gazing at the Delightfuls. Then, her eyes flashed, and she drew out two fans and opened them, releasing pink blossoms into the air that temporarily blinded them, allowing her to leave and land safely on the grounds.

“Come on, guys!” Lee hissed, pointing to the nearest house, which was the Treehouse of Sector V. “Let’s take refuge there! It’s a KND treehouse!”

The others all nodded, then ran as they realized Father was still there. It took only a few minutes for Lee to call up a futuristic S.C.A.M.P.E.R. that fit in his pocket to ride to the treehouse. It was only a few meters away, but Lee had to admit, he was lazy to run.

Inside the mansion, the Delightful Children were hiding under the covers still, with Father getting doused by cherry blossoms, and Lenny in the middle, holding umbrellas around him and Ogie, who was still on the ground.

“…Wait…” Lenny drew out slowly. “…Did he just call me… Daddy?”

**KND Moonbase, 2011**

“Numbuh 362, sir!” Fanny Fulbright – aka Numbuh 86 – saluted.

Rachel McKenzie smiled, nodding at her. “At ease, Numbuh 86. Have you seen Sector V?”

“Not recently, Sir.” The redhead shrugged. “I ’ave seen the Toxic Four recently.”

Rachel groaned. The four poisonbenders were pretty much a thorn in their side, especially since one of their operatives had drifted over and become their leader, forming the Terrible Toxic Four, a group of poisonbenders bent on causing havoc. “Well, send Sector W on it, won’t you?”

“Yessir!” Fanny saluted again before yelling, “SECTOR DOUBLE-YOUUUU!”

Rachel chuckled before heading towards her office, eager to get away from most of the operatives. It was really stressful being the Supreme Leader, and Rachel always took every chance she had to take a break. This was one of those times, and she planned to take advantage of every moment of it.

No sooner had she set foot inside her office when suddenly, a few kids ambushed her from the inside. She gave a muffled squeak, then a relieved sigh as the kids got off her. She sat up, her head spinning, as she tried to recall who they were.

“I didn’t give any orders to attack, you numbskulls!” A brown-haired boy hissed, his red glasses flashing. The flash, however, didn’t hide his eyes from Rachel, and she saw _her_ eyes copied perfectly into his face.

“Like ye wouldn’t have attacked ‘er, Cheren.” Another voice commented. Rachel’s gaze swiveled towards a black-haired girl with her hair tied up in a tall ponytail, split in the middle like a certain pink rabbit’s, from _Chowder_ , ears. Freckles were spattered on her cheeks, and Rachel had the sudden impression of Fanny and Patton combined. “Ye just like to blame ‘em when yer scared.”

A girl that reminded Rachel strongly of Hoagie – what with her aviator’s hat and yellow goggles – chirped, “Derp to all of you. Now stop fighting.”

“Yes, please stop.” A pair of boys that looked almost alike – except one had dreadlocks – said simultaneously, stepping closer to the girl. Now, when they were all together, Rachel noticed that they looked identical, like… triplets!

Suddenly, a girl in shorts stepped out of a corner, and Rachel choked out a gasp. She looked like…like some… Rachel did not _dare_ to say the word ‘freak.’ Hybrid, maybe? A raccoon-human hybrid, that’s what the girl was.

The girl slapped her forehead. “Oi. Somebody ’elp me ’ere.”

“Easy peasy.” A feminine voice drawled, and suddenly, before Rachel’s eyes, purple noxious gas wrapped around the triplets and the others, separating them into two groups. Their source was none other than a pigtailed girl sitting on the desk, with another boy that looked like her twin hanging upside down from the ceiling’s bars.

Rachel wanted to scream. What in the name of crud were these kids doing here in her office? Without permission, too! “Excuse me, but… WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY OFFICE?” In the process, she had stood up, and she was now fuming.

“OH!” A girl shrieked from behind the desk, her head bumping against it, judging from the loud thud.

Another voice, this time a boy’s, started cooing. “It’s OK, Aurora. It’s just a bump…”

“Who was that?” Rachel asked pointedly.

The glass-eyed boy – Cheren, she assumed - sighed. “ _That_ would be my older – and more childish – sister, Aurora, and her boyfriend, Francis.”

“He’s NOT my boyfriend!” Aurora screamed, jumping out from behind the desk to tackle Cheren to the ground. “Take that back right now, or I’ll…I’ll hit you with my S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.!”

Cheren barked, “You wish! You can’t attack your Supreme Leader, doofus! Now get off me, I’m your brother!”

 _WHAT?_ Rachel’s mind was spinning. _Supreme… LEADER?_

“OK, first of all,” Rachel stepped forward, jabbing a finger into Cheren’s chest. Scarily, he wasn’t that much smaller than her. “ _I’m_ Supreme Leader around here. And second, WHO THE CRUD ARE YOU?”

Cheren smiled weakly. “I forgot. I’m Cheren, and this is my sister, Aurora.” The blonde girl waved, and Rachel blinked. Was that… her hairstyle?

“This is Panini, I call her Rabbit Ears.” The freckled girl grinned, showing off an array of sharp teeth, making Rachel shudder. “And this is her brother, Francis.” The boy emerged from his hiding spot and waved awkwardly at Rachel.

“And now, the triplets, Harry, Haylee and Artie. We call them the HAH for short.” The three kids all struck a few poses, and Rachel had to giggle.

Cheren blinked, poking the noxious purple gas still wrapped around him. “Um, Haruka? Let us go now.”

“Oh, right.” The pigtailed girl dropped the kids to the metal floor, making them all wince in pain. “Oops, sorry.”

Cheren rolled his eyes. “Now, as I was saying, these guys are Mason and Haruka, the poisonbending twins…”

“Poisonbenders?” Rachel stood at attention.

Aurora stepped forward, putting a hand on Rachel’s shoulder. A shudder ran through Rachel, and suddenly, she had a glimpse of herself, only older, and Aurora, only younger. She looked so similar to herself when younger, and it made Rachel’s blood… well, in other words, Rachel felt a connection with this girl that she couldn’t explain.

“Calm down M-, Rachel.” Aurora said gently. “Almost half of our operatives are benders, and they don’t harm their fellow operatives.”

Rachel blinked. “ _Your_ operatives?”

“Well,” Haylee began, adjusting her goggles, “you see, Missus Uno- I mean, McKenzie, we came from the future…”

Rachel was about to reply when Fanny marched in the door, her back to them. “All RIGHT, Sector V! Ah’m gettin’ the Supreme Leader right now! Yeesh, that Nigel Uno… Numbuh 36-”

By that point, Fanny had turned around, and saw the assortment of children inside Rachel’s office. Most of them were familiar faces, but it was Panini and Francis’s faces that made her holler.

“SECTOR V!!!”

“FREEZE! WE’VE GOT WEAPONS!”

Cheren and the others stiffened, and Rachel could see the boy’s arm reaching for a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. on his belt, alert and ready.

Suddenly, Sector V burst into the room in various poses, holding 2x4 weaponry, which they pointed at the kids. Hoagie looked a bit surprised to see the triplets, but nonetheless, he said, “You’re cornered, whoever you are.”

“Heh. Whatever you say, D—Hoagie.” Haylee smirked, and suddenly pulled out a metallic cobra, which hissed and flared out his hood. “Sic ’em, Amy!”

 

 **Kids Next Door: K.O.B.R.A.  
K**atastrophic **O** bject **B** ased **R** eptilian **A** nimal

 

The K.O.B.R.A. hissed menacingly, advancing on the operatives slowly. While Haylee and her brothers smirked and high-fived, Hoagie and the others – except Nigel, Fanny, and Rachel – were scared silly as they inched away slowly.

“U-uh… we surrender!” Wally held up his hands.

Nigel face-palmed. “UGH! You guys never learn!”

“Relax, you guys, they’re good guys.” Rachel explained, casting a glance at Haylee. The girl hurriedly whistled for the K.O.B.R.A., and it retreated, giving another hiss before disappearing into her pocket. “OK, for starters, this is Cheren, Aurora, Haylee, Harry, Artie, Mason, Haruka, Sheila, Panini, and Francis. Did I miss anyone?”

Suddenly, a boy emerged from the shadows. “How ‘bout me?”

“Uh… I never really got your name.” Rachel said.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m Dillon York.”

“OK… and this is Dillon.” The CURRENT Supreme Leader finished with relish, glancing at each of them in turn before turning to Nigel. “So, what are you worried about?”

Nigel stood straighter as he reported, “Numbuh 362, we’ve found some operatives in our treehouse trying to contact Moonbase, so we brought them here.” At this signal, Hoagie and Abby exited the room for a few moments. Then, they came back, handling a group of familiar faces.

Dillon’s eyes widened. “Leanne! Lee!”

“It’s Kirie and the others!” Haylee cheered, running up to hug the Japanese-Australian. Kirie smiled, and sign-languaged something that the others didn’t quite catch.

“Uh, excuse me?” Rachel asked. “What did she say?”

Kirie repeated what she said, and Cheren translated this into, “She said they just came from Lee and Leanne’s grandfather’s house.”

“Ahem.” Abby coughed, tapping her foot.

Cheren sweat-dropped. “Oh yeah, sorry. This is Leanne and Lee, the Grayson twins.” At the sound of their names, they both waved in sync, making Sector V shudder for some reason. “This is Lulu and Denny Whitby.” The two children hopped around, giggling. “And this is Kirie. She’s mute.” Kirie only waved, a smile gracing her lips.

“OK… so why’d you run to our treehouse?” Wally asked cluelessly.

Ash rose from the floor, and Wally let out a girly squeal as he hid behind Kuki, who giggled while patting his head. Leanne blinked behind her bangs, and then drew out, “What, haven’t you guys seen a shadowbender before?”

“A bender!” Instantly everyone except Rachel froze into position.

Rachel wanted to bang her head against the wall. “Good God, everyone, calm down! They’re GOOD guys, remember?”

“Oh yeah…” The others murmured their agreement, dropping their weapons.

Lee rolled his eyes, and Damien simply scoffed silently as he avoided Ash, who was again cooing like a little dove. Leanne whacked her shadow, making Ash scowl, before the two shadows faded back into place.

“So, what _are_ ye guys really doin’ here?” Fanny asked skeptically.

Lee jumped right in. “We were escaping from Grampa’s fiery wrath!”

“Yeah! He was so pissed off because we spoke some profanity!” Leanne continued. “Something about his ‘Delighted Children’ learning bad words or something!”

Nigel perked up. “Are you talking about Father and the Delightful Children?”

“Yeah!” Lulu giggled shyly. “Mama was shivering on the floor, and Daddy was really protective of her.”

The other blinked, then slowly inched away. “Riiight…” Abby drew out.

Cheren gestured for the little girl to come to him, and she followed, with Denny hot on her heels. Then, he discussed something severe with the two, making them nod vigorously before they faced the others.

“Guys, we kinda need your help.” Cheren explained. “We need to get back to the future, and fast.”

Kuki scratched her head. “Why?”

Aurora stepped forward to explain. “Well, just being in the past is simply unnatural for us future guys, and if we stay for more than one month, we start to… um… well, I’ll say pixelate.”

“We’ll go KABLOOIE!” Denny laughed, clapping his hands together to emphasize his point.

Panini cocked her head. “That’s why we need yer help ta get back to the future.”

“Why does that sound familiar…” Rachel fleetingly glanced at Fanny, but the Global Command officer had her gaze fixated on Francis, who looked uncomfortable to be stared at by his mother in the past.

Sheila, on the other hand, was nonetheless peppy. “Orright mates, let’s hoist up the main sail and set sailin’ towards the future!”

“Sheila,” Mason said slowly, “we don’t have a time machine.”

The raccoon girl drooped. “Oh. Well, that sure is a bummer.”

“But,” Haylee drew out slowly, “if I had the right technology, materials and equipment, I _could_ build a time machine in this timeline. D—Hoagie, do you have any 4x4 technology on hand?”

“Only 2x4.” Hoagie said apologetically, doubting her tone as she said his name. “Kinda outdated for you.”

Haylee shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll have to downgrade a little. Haylee’s on the case if you can provide me materials.”

“List away.” Abby declared.

Harry’s eyes flashed, and he held on to the rim of his cap. “Brace yourselves.”

“OK, I’ll need…” Haylee pulled out a long scroll out of her pocket. And when I mean long, I mean LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LOOOOOOOOONG scroll. “I’ll need some 4x4 screwdrivers with the knife capability, then at least ten kilograms of metallic thingamajigs, blah blah blah blah blah, and I’ll need some good ol’ fashioned soda, and maybe a cupcake if you can.”

Wally’s head was spinning. “Uh, what?”

“Basically, I need screwdrivers, ten kilos of metal, some other stuff, soda, and a cupcake for my snack.” Haylee deadpanned.

“Oh.”

Nigel smirked. “Consider us on the case. All right team, let’s move out!” And with that, Sector V ran out of the room, dragging Fanny along with them. That left Rachel and the future kids.

“So… can we stay up on Moonbase or something?” Haruka asked.

Rachel nodded slightly, then started staring again at them, but this time, she was conceptualizing some thoughts in her head as she scanned Cheren and Aurora.

 _Hmm…_ Her eyes narrowed as she took in her future children which she didn’t recognize. _Cheren… looks like Nigel with hair… and MY brown eyes. Peculiar… Then… Aurora… practically my mirror image, but with blue eyes._

“Uh… M-; Rachel?” Aurora nearly slipped.

Rachel’s eyes widened. _She was about to call me something! And it’s…_

At the realization, Rachel fainted.

Cheren looked at Aurora, slitting his throat with an imaginary knife as he glared at Aurora, his eyes casting a clear message to his sister: _Darn it, Aurora, you made Mom faint!_

**Delightful Mansion**

As Ashley took a shower, she couldn’t help but shrink away as the sun’s rays shone through the small window in the bathroom. Then, afterwards, she reprimanded herself for it.

 _What is the matter with you? You usually love sunlight._ Her thoughts churning, she switched off the shower and wrapped a towel around herself before getting out of the shower area and heading for the dressing room.

As she passed by their bedroom, she could hear Bruce and Lenny bickering about whose turn it was to take a bath, making her giggle. Then, she walked on, glancing at Ogie as she passed, all dressed up in her sailor suit. The brunette smiled in acknowledgement, then entered their room.

 _Three… two… one…_ Ashley rolled her eyes as she heard Ogie’s voice screaming at Lenny and Bruce. She could almost feel the two boys trembling in fear as she closed the door to the dressing room. Once there, she selected her traditional sailor suit from a selection of clothes that fit her somewhat dreary personality. Sure, she was Delightfulized (you WERE aware of that, right?), but she did have certain likes and dislikes like any other kid.

“Should I wear the carnation pink ribbon,” Ashley asked herself, “or the fuchsia pink ribbon?”

 _“Go with fuchsia. It’s pretty.”_ someone said.

Ashley smiled. “Alright then… hey, who said that?”

 _“I did…”_ Suddenly, Ashley’s shadow rose up from the floor, making the poor girl shriek in surprise, dropping both ribbons to the floor.

“I’m dreaming… I’m dreaming…” Ashley breathed in and out slowly. “1… 2… 3…”

 _“You’re not dreaming.”_ The shadow approached Ashley, cocking its head, and Ashley could see a faint trace of a white smile on her face. It suddenly occurred to her that the shadow wasn’t really talking out loud, and that she could hear her in her mind.

“So… you’re my shadow… do you have a name?” Ashley asked.

 _“Unfortunately, no.”_ The shadow let out a silent sigh. _“But since you are my mistress, you are supposed to name me. I am merely your shadow.”_

Ashley blinked. “Oh… well…”

“Ashley?” Ogie’s voice called out from outside the door, making the two stiffen. “Are you done in there?”

Ashley hesitated, but her shadow nodded, allowing her to reply, “I’m almost done!”

“Yeesh, girls take so long in putting on clothes!” Bruce’s voice mumbled.

Ogie snapped, “And you boys just throw on what’s lying around!”

“Hey! I’ll have you know this is my best suit!” Lenny argued.

 _“Hm?”_ The Shadow Ashley looked at the real Ashley, blinking expectantly.

“I’ll call you… Nikka.” Ashley declared. “Nikka, my shadow!”

 _“Any particular reason why you chose that name?”_ The shadow – Nikka – thought-spoke.

Ashley shrugged. “I like the name. Actually, it’s the nickname of a girl in a movie I saw, Danika. They called her Nikka there.”

 _“Alright, my mistress.”_ Nikka curtseyed. _“Now, may I suggest to getting to your peers?”_

“Ah… of course…” Ashley picked up the fuchsia ribbon and the carnation pink ribbon, stuffing the latter into her ribbon box and tying up the former into her traditional bow before heading outside. Before she opened the door, Nikka faded back into her shadow, so she simply walked out, looking as she always did as a Delightful.

David smiled gratefully at Ashley for finally appearing, because her appearance had halted the ongoing war between Ogie, Bruce, and Lenny. However, Ashley didn’t get that, and for some reason, her ‘brother’s’ smile made her cheeks grow a light pink.

“Great… you’re done. Father’s waiting for us.” Ogie said stoically, turning pointedly away from Lenny and Bruce.

Bruce added stiffly, “We’ve got another plan for the KNDoofuses, so hurry up.”

Ashley sighed, then merged with the four to form the Delightful Children From Down The Lane again. Heading down the stairs, they were just about to turn left towards the dining room when a giggling shadow tackled the five to the ground.

“Play with me, play with me!” The shadow giggled.

The five separated, laughing as they got up, brushing off the dirt on their clothes, while Bruce knelt down and hugged the little girl, who had torn off her silhouette and was hopping around excitedly.

“Blythe, let your siblings eat.” A voice chided gently from a nearby doorway. The shadowed being revealed herself to be their Mother, her blue eyes showing amusement as she collected the little girl into her arms. “Now go, my children. Your Father awaits.”

“Yes Mother.” The five chanted, before briskly walking towards the dining room, praying that Father wasn’t angry for them being late.

Father wasn’t angry, which was lucky for them. He was distracted by the fact that Sector V wasn’t home in their treehouse yet, wrecking all of his plans for them. He was so distracted that he only noticed his Delightful Children when they politely tapped their spoons against their glasses.

“Ah, I’m sorry, my children.” Father’s gaze swiveled over each child in turn before waving his hand in a dismissive manner. “I was just distracted. Go on and eat.”

Bruce looked at his plate, then back at Father, then back at his plate again, then at the food. He drooled, but not in public. He excused himself, then drooled outside the dining room.

As the Delightful Children ate, Ashley only picked at her food with her fork, suddenly not feeling very hungry. She poked the yolk of her egg, and moved around the strips of bacon on her plate.

Nikka didn’t dare move, what with her being a shadow, but she did communicate with Ashley telepathically, asking her, _“What’s wrong, Mistress?”_

 _“Nothing…”_ Ashley sighed, then said, “May I be excused?”

“Ashley, you haven’t even touched your food yet.” Father pointed out.

The sandy-blonde girl only shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

“OK, I’ll eat your breakfast then!” Bruce said cheerily, reaching for the plate. Then, in a few minutes, he had devoured the egg and bacon, making the others sweat-drop as Ashley slipped out of the room.

As she headed towards the gardens, Nikka grew worried for her mistress, but didn’t dare disturb her, like the loyal and respectful shadow she was.

Ashley looked around, hoping for something of a target she could play around with. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a few dummies Father used to attack whenever he was in a flaming rage. Smiling, she ran over to it and set it up.

 _“What are you doing?”_ Nikka sat on a nearby rock, which you might consider impossible since she’s a shadow.

“I…I don’t really know.” Ashley confessed, loosely tying the dummy to a stick. “I just wanted to kick around this dummy for fun.”

 _“If you weren’t my mistress, I’d say you are weird.”_ Nikka commented dryly, twirling a strand of her shadowy hair.

Ashley smiled weakly. “It’s a way to vent out my anger and annoyances. All right, here we go.” Stepping away from the dummy, Ashley positioned herself, like she would in a martial arts battle. Then, silently screaming a battle cry, the Delightful started pummeling the dummy with all her might.

Nikka watched with renewed interest as her mistress hit the dummy with various kicks and punches. She noted the way her left arm gave more power into a punch, and the way she grappled the dummy with her legs in such an acrobatic manner that the shadow was left speechless when Ashley finally stopped. The dummy had been reduced to strips of cloth and sawdust.

 _“That was amazing, Mistress!”_ Nikka praised. _“Where did you learn such amazing martial arts moves?”_

Ashley blinked before shrugging. “I…I always knew them… it’s like I was born for these things…”

 _“Well…”_ Nikka smiled, her faint white smile now glowing brighter. _“Since you showed me something only you know, I’ll show you something only shadows know. Come.”_

The girl stepped closer to the shadow, curious, when suddenly, Nikka hugged her tight, making them both fade into the shadows of the mansion.

“AAGGH!” Ashley panicked, running around in the darkness. “What did you do?”

 _“I used Shadow Veil.”_ Nikka said calmly. _“It’s one of your powers as a shadowbender.”_

“Shadow…bender?” Ashley drew out nervously.

**KND Moonbase**

_“Now look what you just did!” Cheren’s voice yelled angrily._

_Aurora shot back, “Look, I made a mistake! I’m not perfect and you know that!”_

Rachel slowly stirred, sitting up wearily. Her head continued to spin as Cheren and Aurora continued to bicker. Finally, Sheila stepped in the middle of them and said, “Oi! Aren’t you two mates? Stop arguin’!”

“…” Cheren turned away pointedly from Aurora, who sighed.

Rachel stood up, holding on to Haylee and Harry for support, before saying, “So… you’re…”

“Yes.” Aurora replied, tossing a strand of her hair back. “Me and Cheren are your children in the future with Nigel Uno.”

Dillon commented, “Heh. She was knocked out cold by the sheer meaning of it.”

“Yeah, that’s Aunt Rachel all right.” Leanne murmured, playing with her hair and casting glances at Francis. “Faints when she can’t take it anymore.”

The CURRENT Supreme Leader glanced at the shadowbender. “Am I really like that in the future?”

“Yes.” Lee, her twin brother, put in. “Because of Cheren and Aurora – mostly Cheren though – Uncle Nigel tells stories about how you faint into bed because of what crazy stuff they do.”

Lulu toddled up to Rachel, tugging on the hem of her shirt. Rachel looked down, and Lulu said, “Mama says that Cheren’s got Nigel’s daredevil streak and jumped off a cliff one time.”

“CHEREN!” Rachel said sternly. “You’re not allowed to jump off a cliff, even for recreation, at your age! What did your father say about this?”

The FUTURE Supreme Leader gazed at his shoes in embarrassment, red flooding his cheeks as the others laughed.

“HA HA HA!” Mason guffawed, thumping his fist on Rachel’s desk. “Cheren’s getting chewed out by his mother in the past! BWA HA HA!”

Haruka smacked the back of his head with a Poison Whip, but even she was struggling not to giggle and roll around in circles, like Panini, who was doing just that. Leanne and Lee were high-fiving and laughing, while Sheila had simply sat on a nearby file drawer and laughed her heart out.

“SHUT UP!” Cheren roared, blazing into flames.

Rachel jumped back, as did everyone else, as Cheren blazed bright orange flames. He seemed undamaged by them, and, truth be told, he looked pretty scary to mess with right now.

However, it didn’t faze Aurora as she dumped a bucket of cold water on him, dousing the flames immediately. Cheren jumped around, yelling, “COLD! COLD! COLD!” He shivered, sneezing, as he glared at his sister. “Where’d you get that?”

Aurora didn’t reply, but she did point to a broken glass panel labeled ‘EMERGENCY WATER BUCKET OF ICE COLD WATER. USE IN CASE OF FATHER.’

“Father? You mean Grandpa?” Leanne asked, walking over to the panel and tracing the letters on the cold glass.

Rachel blinked. “No, we mean Father. Wait, Father’s your grandfather?”

“Mm hmm.” Lee nodded.

Rachel was about to ask more when suddenly, Sector V came rushing in, holding what looked like ten tons of metal, other gadgetries, and a cupcake and a soda. At this sudden development, Haruka swooped in and whispered in Rachel’s ear, “You can’t tell them now. When we leave, perhaps you can tell them whose kid is whose. But for now, stay quiet.” At this, Rachel nodded vigorously.

“All right, Hayl, we got all the stuff you needed.” Hoagie panted, dropping a 2x4 toolbox outside the door. “Plus some of my tools.”

Haylee grinned. “Perfecto! Now all Haylee needs is some help!”

“We’re perfect for that!” Harry and Artie said at the same time before the triplets dove into the metal junk and started pulling out parts. The others all sweat-dropped as they pushed the metal away from Rachel’s office to give them some space to work.

**Delightful Mansion**

David walked by the balcony, holding what looked like a slice of fruitcake, which he was eating. He looked around, admiring the gardens, when suddenly, he noted the sawdust and strips of cloth on the grass.

 _Heh… looks like Ashley’s been practicing again…_ He grinned at the thought, when suddenly, Ashley appeared out of thin air. David nearly choked on his fork as he watched Ashley’s shadow rise up as if it was alive. Ashley seemed to giggle, and then, without warning, the shadow hugged Ashley again, and they disappeared.

David’s fork clattered to the ground.

**In the future; Uno Residence**

In the kitchen, Rachel was busy cooking dinner, while Nigel was setting up the table. The blonde-haired woman anxiously checked the oven, and was pleased to see that the turkey hadn’t exploded in her face like before. Turning it off, she took out the turkey and set it in the middle.

Nigel smiled. “That looks delicious, Rach.”

“Thanks, _Nigie_.” Rachel teased, using Lizzie’s nickname for him as a child.

The baldheaded man rolled his eyes as he kissed his wife on the cheek before heading towards the stairs to call their children. “Cheren! Aurora! Chris! Time for dinner!”

“They’re probably still at Moonbase, Nigel.” Rachel commented. “And I think Chris is sleeping over at the Murphys. Better call Abby and see if she can tell her triplets to call the two over.”

Nigel nodded before heading towards the phone. He dialed in the Gilligans’ number, and waited for someone to pick up the phone. Finally, he heard Abby’s voice.

 _“Hello? Abby speaking.”_ The brown-skinned woman spoke.

Nigel began, “Abby? It’s me, Nigel. Are your triplets home yet?”

 _“No.”_ Abby replied. _“Abby’s guessin’ they’re still up on the Moonbase with the others.”_

Nigel looked at Rachel and signaled that the triplets weren’t there, too. “OK, Abby. Hey, if you want, you can come over for dinner with Hoagie.”

 _“Deal.”_ Abby said before putting down the phone.

The Brit shook his head. “Rach, the triplets aren’t there either. How are we going to call the two now?”

“How about Kuki and Wally’s daughter?” Rachel suggested, coming out of the kitchen. “She may be mute, but Cheren and Aurora can understand her sign language.”

Nigel smiled before dialing the Beatles’ number. It was Wally who answered this time.

 _“Oi, Nigel!”_ he said. _“Oi was jus’ about to call you!”_

“About what?” Nigel asked.

The Australian replied, _“About Kirie. She’s not home yet, and Kuki’s gettin’ worried. Did your kids see her?”_

“That’s the point. Cheren and Aurora aren’t here yet.” Nigel explained. “I called you two and Abby and Hoagie about that, but you all said you didn’t know. This is strange.”

Wally sighed. _“Ah know. Kuki’s throwing a fit over here and worrying about Kirie.”_

“Well, tell her you guys can come over for dinner.” Nigel suggested. “We’ll talk about their disappearance later. Oh, and call Fanny and Patton, too. They can come too.”

As he put down the receiver, Rachel asked skeptically, “Nigel, I don’t think our dinner party will fit in the dining room.”

“That’s why I asked Hoagie to build a room specifically for times like these.” Nigel grinned. “Come on, help me set up the room.”

**Timeskip**

Once they were all settled, Rachel gazed at their guests. All the mothers – Kuki, Abby, Fanny, Ashley, Ogie, Yin, Danika, and Marine – looked absolutely worried for their children, while all the fathers – Wally, Hoagie, Patton, David, Lenny, Matthew, Nolan, and Elijah – were talking amongst themselves about it.

“And just _how_ did Danika and Marine get here?” Rachel hissed to Nigel under her breath.

“I’ll just say Yin.” Nigel raised his hands in defense. “And besides, their kids are operatives, too.”

Kuki looked around, speaking in her emotionless businesswoman tone. “All right, now Rachel, Nigel, why are we all here again?”

“As you all know, our kids aren’t here.” Rachel began, to nods of agreement. “We deduced that they’re on the KND Moonbase, but reports from Lizzie and Herbie’s son says that they aren’t there.”

Marine said, “Orright, we know that. The question is, where are the little sheilas and boomers?”

“I can deduce that there is a 10% possibility that they were kidnapped.” Yin said, copying Rachel’s sword, Fi’s talking style.

Danika replied, “But on the Moonbase? I called up both Doblemitz twins, and they said their children were up there the whole time, and with no reports of adults attacking.”

“That _is_ a problem.” Ashley murmured, eating a sliver of turkey. “I’m worried for Lee and Leanne. What if they put their shadowbending to bad use?”

Ogie added, “And what about Denny and Lulu? They’re only seven years old, for God’s sake!”

“Look,” Fanny said, “Panini’s a reckless firebender! She could set off a bunch of bombs that could destroy Virginia as we know it!”

Yin only sat there, quiet, while Matt whispered reassurances to her. The Chinese woman, however, was still not appeased.

It was only later that Rachel suddenly got a call on her cellphone. She signaled to the others to keep quiet, before answering her phone. “Hello? Rachel speaking.”

 _“Auntie Rachel!”_ a voice cried. Rachel recognized it as Aaron Doblemitz, the only son of Raissa and Pete Doblemitz. _“Auntie Rachel, Rhilliane just found out where they went!”_ Rhilliane was Aaron’s cousin, and Riana and Peter’s daughter.

Rachel said, “OK, Aaron, hold on. I’m putting this on loudspeaker for everyone to hear.” She did so, then said, “Go on, Aaron.”

 _“Rhilliane said that she detected traces of a portal near the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.es!”_ Aaron cried, panicking. _“And when I ran it through the 4x4 technology detector, I picked up some residue of what Rhilliane calls Time Dust!”_

Suddenly, Rhilliane’s voice came on. _“Auntie Rachel, I also picked up Cheren’s Rainbow Monkey in the debris. And I saw particles of Aurora’s DNA, too, through Diwata’s DNA detector!”_

 _“We found_ every kid’s _DNA near the Time Dust!”_ Aaron added. _“And when Diwata ran it through Haylee’s scanner, it said that they went…”_

 _“To the past!”_ The twins said together.

There was silence from all the parents. Then, all the mothers fainted.

“Oh, brother.” Elijah muttered.

Matt shook his head. “The hell do they have to go to the past.”

 

**Mika’s Note: *blink blink* Um… yeah… Time Dust… Even I don’t know how to explain that. I’m just making things up as I go yeah, BTW, we gave Aaron and Rhilliane cameos! YAYZERS! They’re otherwise known as the future Numbuh 44s, only in cousin form, though they really look alike. And guess what? Both their parents are twins! (Basically Pete married Raissa, whose twin sister Riana married Pete’s twin brother, Peter.) I don’t know if that is possible, but, yeah.**


End file.
